course: spatio-temporal analysis and big data processing

SPATIO-TEMPORAL ANALYSIS AND BIG DATA PROCESSING USING FREE AND OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE

(basic and advanced levels)

Over the last few decades there has been an explosion in the availability of data for environmental research, and in particular for spatio-temporal analysis. We are now able to address a number of important questions, both new and old, with unprecedented rigor and generality. Leveraging these
exciting new data streams requires tools and increasingly complex workflows. This 6-day course introduces a set of free and open source software (GRASS, R, Python, AWK, BASH, GDAL) to perform spatio-temporal analysis and modelling of environmental data in a Linux environment. We
also introduce multi-core, cloud and cluster computation procedures. The course consists of a set of lectures and practical hands-on sessions in
which participants perform spatial and temporal analysis using Geographic Information System and Remote Sensing concepts. Although courses focuses on the command line instead of the graphical user interface, no prior experience with programming or command line interfaces is assumed or required. To cater to students with prior programming experience, we will hold parallel sessions that introduce more advanced material. Our main focus is on teaching self learning and problem solving more than the use of specific tools (see: our teaching method http://www.spatial-ecology.net/giuseppe/publications/Amatulli_et_al_OGRS.pdf) so participants will be able to progress and adapt to learn the newest available data science techniques.